STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - Minutes after city officials snipped a ribbon in the center of Schmul Park, dozens of PS 26 students rushed the colorful soft play mounds to break in the Parks Department’s newest project for Staten Islanders.

The 8.5-acre tract in the heart of Travis again brought smiles to the faces of those using the playground. In this West Shore neighborhood, that’s nothing new.

Travis native Bob Tricorico knows this best. He grew up on Melvin Avenue across from the park. His mother Josephine, who died in 2009 at the age of 81, lived in the same house her entire life.

Mrs. Tricorico was a former president of the PTA at PS 26 and even served as the grand marshal of the Travis Fourth of July Parade in 1985.

Of Schmul Park, Tricorico said “I played there every day of my life as a kid. All I had to do was walk right out the front door,” he said.

Somewhere along the way — perhaps while running her store, Phene’s Deli, previously on Victory Boulevard — Mrs. Tricorico acquired 18 old images of Schmul Park.

The black-and-white stills show children playing on the property, people dining in the hall that once existed on the land, and a dedication ceremony to the Schmuls, who turned the land over to the city in 1938.

“Somebody might have given them to her in the store. My mother was very popular. She had them forever,” said Tricorico, who noted his aunt Julie is in one of the photographs.

Friends’ parents who used to hang out with his mother are also in the pictures. Many residents who grew up in Travis wound up living in the neighborhood most of their lives.

Tricorico recalled being treated to lunch — potato pancakes — at the Schmul residence after school days.

The park was recently transformed and will serve as a gateway to the future site of Freshkills Park. It includes new basketball and handball courts, a play mound, swings, and a spacious lawn for multiple activities.

“It’s already filled with parents and kids every day,” said Tricorico. “They did a wonderful job.” 